RUSSIAN WOMEN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21084, 9 July 1938, Page 11

RUSSIAN WOMEN

USED TO HEAVY WORK Russia and life in its main cities formed the subject of a talk given by Miss W. Gordon to the Federation of University women at a reception held recently in Wellington for new grad--1 uates. I "The trouble with a visit to Russia | is that when it is short it puts a ter- | rifle strain on one’s powers of decision,” Miss Gordon said. "First there are the things which are done in every country by every well-trained tourist. *I first of all visited several churches, i but did not atend a service. In the | gorgeous St. Basil’s Cathedral of Moscow workmen were repairing valuable mosaics, The Russian Government is very keen on preserving as much of the past culture and its expression as they can. The churches have strong and perhaps over-extravagant emootional appeal. Contrasted with them is the restraint of the public buildings, | both old and new’. The churches contribute greatly to the Eastern atmosphere of Russia. "Of great interest,” the speaker continued, "were the libraries, outstanding ones being the Lenin Library of Moscow', and one of the world’s largest, in Leningrad. I was not allowed to take a large handbag into the Leningrad Library; in other places one must leave one’s umbrella at the door. I saw no food queues in Moscow 7 ; in fact, food was varied and plentiful. What I did see was long queues waiting for the latest edition of the newspaper.” Miss Gordoij described the variety of interesting tours offered to tourists, and also remarked that she wandered about Moscow just as she \Vould in a New Zealand city. Another point of interest was in her reference to Russia’s colossal effort to get rid of what we would call bad slums. Moscow, she said, was like a builder’s yard. The contrast between the old and new, Miss Gordon added, was very marked in the cities. She described many old-time ideas still prevalent in Moscow, and also told of the very modern ones that were so much in evidence. "I noticed in Moscow two women bricklayers, fine hefty women, who looked perfectly happy and were doing the job as competently as any man.” the speaker continued. "In a factory I questioned a Russian girl about heavy work for women. The answer I ' got was this. ‘You forget that Russian ; women have worked hard for centuries. They set the pace of their own ! accord and are often ahead of the men. Of course English women could I not—with a wicked little smile—they I would be too delicate.' Her knowledge of English women was perhaps gained ' from tourists.”